Chapter 364: I Wish I Could Cut Her into a Thousand Pieces

Consort Lin mulled it over. ‘Nothing ventured, nothing gained,’ she thought. Steeling herself, she spoke, word by deliberate word. “Besides, the Princely Heir is merely the Princely Heir for now. As for the future… who can say for sure?”

The Guardian Lady was stunned for a moment. After a long pause, she slowly turned her head and gave Consort Lin a deep, searching look. “I never realized Consort Lin’s ambitions were so grand.”

She lowered her gaze and remained silent for a long while before unhurriedly lifting her teacup. “The hour is late. I won’t keep you, Consort Lin.”

Consort Lin had said all she needed to say. She had laid all her cards on the table, and now she could only wait for the outcome. She rose, curtsied slightly, and said, “I have intruded for too long. Farewell.”

As she walked out the door, Consort Lin’s expression was placid. The carriage slowly departed from Luan Garden.

The Guardian Lady sat alone in the room for a long time before rising and heading toward her daughter’s courtyard.

Shen Qingluan had been furious and resentful all day, leaving her mentally and emotionally drained. A doctor had prescribed her some calming medicine in the afternoon, which had sent her to sleep. But now, Shen Qingluan was wide awake. She reclined on a chaise longue, listening to a maid read from a storybook.

Seeing her mother arrive, Shen Qingluan sat up. The Guardian Lady walked to the chaise longue and sat beside her, stroking her back. “My child, are you feeling any better?”

Shen Qingluan nodded, snuggling against the Guardian Lady’s side. “Much better. I’m sorry for making you worry, Mother.”

The Guardian Lady waved her hand, and all the servants in the room withdrew.

Only then did she speak. “Qingluan, there is something I must tell you. Consort Lin from the Prince Qi Mansion was just here.”

The moment Shen Qingluan heard the words “Prince Qi Mansion,” her delicate eyebrows shot up in anger. “Pah! What was she doing here? To laugh at my misfortune?”

The Guardian Lady explained Consort Lin’s purpose in a low voice. Shen Qingluan’s face turned bright red—not from shame, but from rage. “Mother, why are you telling me this? Don’t tell me you actually want me to marry the son of a concubine, and as a second wife at that?”

“How could I ever show my face again?”

The Guardian Lady patted her. “My child, calm down. Let me ask you: the Princess Consort played us, costing you the position of Heir’s wife. Are you really going to accept that?”

Shen Qingluan gritted her teeth. “How could I possibly accept it? I wish I could subject the Princess Consort to death by a thousand cuts! Only that would quench my hatred.”

A cold smile touched the Guardian Lady’s lips. “Your mother feels the exact same way.”

“The Princess Consort shamed us mother and daughter and jeopardized my child’s future. How could I possibly let her go?! To humiliate us like this… Does she think I’m a pushover?!”

“Never in my life have I suffered such a humiliation. Though the incident today was quiet, I’m afraid everyone has already guessed what happened. Otherwise, Consort Lin wouldn’t have been so eager to come rushing over.”

Shen Qingluan excitedly grabbed the Guardian Lady’s arm. “Mother, what are you planning to do?”

The Guardian Lady said softly, “I plan to marry you to the First Young Master of the Prince Mansion.”

Shen Qingluan had fully expected her mother to have a plan to deal with the Princess Consort and help her marry the Princely Heir. She never imagined her mother would say *that*. Her face fell. “I won’t marry him! How can I marry the son of a concubine?”

The Guardian Lady soothed her, “Just listen to me.”

“Although the First Young Master is the son of a concubine, he is still, at the end of the day, a member of the Imperial Family. His status is noble. The entire realm belongs to their Xiao family—who would dare look down on one of them?”

“Besides, you’re about to turn eighteen. This marriage cannot be delayed any longer.”

“That is the first reason.”

“The second reason is this: all this time, why did I want you to marry the Princely Heir? Wasn’t it all so that you could become the next Princess Qi?”

“If you marry the First Young Master… does that mean you can’t still become Princess Qi?”